Mark Eustice

Mark Eustice
Personal information
Full name	Mark Eustice
Date of birth	14 February 1963
Original team	Strathmore
Height/Weight	183 cm / 84 kg
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1980-1984 1985-1988 1988-1991 Total -	Essendon Richmond Sydney Swans	29 (19) 62 (26) 46 (9) 137 (54)
1 Playing statistics to end of 1991 season .

Mark Eustice (born 14 February 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon, Richmond and the Sydney Swans in the Victorian/Australian Football League (VFL/AFL).

Eustice, who played his first VFL game at just 17 years of age, never played more than nine games in a season while at Essendon.^[1] He was a member of the reserves premiership winning team of 1983 and played in Essendon's 1984 night premiership, but never participated in a VFL finals series.^[2] Used in a variety of positions, he often appeared as a wingman or half forward.

He received a clearance to Richmond for the 1985 season and found himself regularly selected for the seniors. He played 18 games that year and earned the first Brownlow Medal votes of his career when he kicked four goals in a win over Fitzroy.^[1] In 1986 he was Richmond's third leading disposal getter, averaging 20 a game.^[1] He made 18 appearances in 1987 and again found a lot of the ball, but it would be his last completed season at Richmond.^[1] Eight rounds into the 1988 season and after serving a two week suspension for headbutting former teammate Steven Clark, Eustice was sacked by Richmond. He completed the season with Sydney, playing five games.^[3]

At Sydney he played mostly as a back pocket defender and appeared in the opening 20 rounds of the 1989 season before a broken jaw ended his year.^[4] He spent two further years with the Swans before being delisted but remained in the city and played for North Shore in the Sydney Football League.

He was the subject of media attention in 2010 when he revealed that he had undergone rehabilitation for long term drug abuse and was suffering from bipolar depression.^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} AFL Tables: Mark Eustice
2. ^ "Eustice, Mark". Essendon Football Club. http://www.essendonfc.com.au/team/player-past.asp?id=277. 
3. ^ The Age,"Manson and Burns out 3", 24 May 1988, p. 62
4. ^ Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 9781920910785. 
5. ^ Herald Sun,"I had all the drugs, so I was pretty popular", 29 August 2010, Luke Waters

Persondata
Name	Eustice, Mark
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	14 February 1963
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death